Friday will be the opening of The Columbia Art Gallery’s new show. “Exploring Vessels: Constructions of Wood Steel and Clay” is a conceptual show in which the artists have made containers for thought, objects, space.

Henry and Cynthia Parle, Charlotte Valdivia, Ken Mattox, Nick Denton and Susan Hoffman, RN, all affiliated with the Hood River Chapter of the American Red Cross and national disaster responders, provided service this past weekend at a shelter set up at St. Mary’s Academy in The Dalles, and at the statewide Red Cross fire relief operations headquarters.

When Karen Louiselle sold the Mt. Hood Country Store four years ago, she was looking for quiet times. After 10 years running the busy store on the corner of Highway 35 and Cooper Spur Road, she was ready to spend more time in her garden and pursuing her talents in home decorating and painting.

Fisher wins second Gorge Games kayaking title

The Hood River News won a record number of first place awards in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2002 Better Newspaper Contest, whose results were announced Friday at the annual Summer Publishers Convention in Tigard.

Dick Nafsinger, who came to the Hood River News in 1962 as editor and publisher and retired last year as president and chief operating officer of Eagle Newspapers, was awarded the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame Award by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Friday at the ONPA convention in Tigard.

HOOD RIVER — The results weren’t the same as last year, but the fun meter was on high throughout the weekend as the Hood River Dynamos hosted the third-annual Gorge Challenge youth soccer tournament July 13-14.

For fans of Stephen Sondheim, a performance of “Assassins” is a real event. Because of its difficulty and controversial subject matter, the musical is only rarely produced and when it is, theatre lovers often travel large distances to attend a production.

Relay for Life set to run this weekend

This might be the biggest week of music in Hood River, with the Ford Gorge Games running through Sunday. Tonight, Jesus Presley makes a return after packing the house two weeks ago. On Thursday, Animal Liberation Organization is playing followed by the Lifesavas, who are being hosted by Slingshot for a party on Friday night. The event is open to the public after 10 p.m. On Saturday, Area 54 presents Maui dance band Lost at Last for a one night only show, and The Motet wrap the music up on Sunday.

Nuestra Comunidad Sana (Our Healthy Community) of Hood River has received a $5,000 grant from the McKenzie River Gathering Foundation to conduct an HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention program in the Hispanic community of the Mid-Columbia.

Dark humor resounds in controversial play at CAST

On a sunny morning in June, the cooks from 6th Street Bistro went on a field trip with their boss, Ben Stenn. Stenn, co-owner of the bistro, took his crew to tour Zion Farms south of The Dalles so they could see where the fresh produce that’s delivered to the restaurant several times a week comes from.

Wednesday, July 3

The Hood River Downtown Business Association and GorgeArts in association with local artists, performers and businesses will recognize independent artists of the Gorge with a “Celebration of Independence” during First Friday in Hood River on July 5, 2002.

A hard-hitting blues weekend is scheduled at the Riverside Grill, July 4-6. The three days of R&B features several artists performing at the 2002 Waterfront Blues Festival which takes place this week in Portland.

The Hood River County School District Board of Directors unanimously approved the 2002-03 budget Wednesday. The adoption of the school district budget makes official several personnel cuts and other spending reductions district-wide for the upcoming school year.